Who Is Steamfaerie? Kota Wade Tells All
Kota Wade is a YouTube makeup and style guru, better known by the handle Steamfaerie, who specializes in all things fantasy and steampunk-inspired. We spoke with Kota to discover her favorite style inspirations, and what being a Steamfaerie is all about.
What makeup product could you not live without?
1. I don't have a super huge makeup collection (compared to most makeup gurus at least), and I tend to just stick to my staple items that I know never fail me! When I got the Venus Palette from Lime Crime, my makeup game changed and I can't imagine life without it!
Describe your favorite pair of shoes
2. I have an obsession with shoes! I love collecting them and displaying them, and very rarely wear my crazy ones in real life. For photoshoots, I tend to wear a lot of Victorian style boots, because they're very "steamfaerie" and make any outfit look vintage and classic. Although, I do love a good pair of chunky platforms like anything by UNIF or Y.R.U.!
If you could have any meal right this minute, what would it be?
3. Ravioli! I love love love spinach ravioli and could eat it almost every meal!
Who is your favorite Disney character? Why?
4. Probably Rapunzel! Tangled is one of my absolute favorite movies, and I may love Pascal almost as much as I love Rapunzel!
What's your weirdest phobia?
5. It's probably not that weird, but I'm completely afraid of snakes! I can't handle looking at pictures of them and if I see one in real life I FREAK out!
Which fictional character do you relate to most?
6. Rose Tyler from Doctor Who! I don't know if she and I are alike all that much, but I've always felt a connection to her.
What's your favorite guilty pleasure movie?
7. I actually don't watch a lot of movies, but I have TONS of guilty pleasure TV shows, including Supernatural, My Little Pony, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mako Mermaids, Monster High and more!
What is your spirit animal?
8. I recently looked up my zodiac spirit animal and it said "handfish", which are funny little fish that have fins on their belly that they walk around on. Oddly enough, when I was little, I visited an aquarium that had hand fish and I LOVED them, so apparently I've always been connected to them! The zodiac says that they're "the weirdest of all spirit animals", which pretty much sums me up!
If you could swap lives with any celeb for a day, who would it be?
9. I would love to live a day as Hayley Williams, because I would love to play a rockin' show to a sold out stadium!
What first made you decide to share your style and craft on YouTube, and how has that evolved over time? How did you get into that line of work? How did you come up with the handle SteamFaerie?
I've always loved collecting weird and unusual pieces of clothing, from petticoats to vintage hats and everything else strange and beautiful. My mom actually said one day "Why don't you do videos to show off all the weird things you have?" and thus, "Steamfaerie" was born.
I initially wanted to create a channel that featured lots of alternative fashion and show people that you can find tons of awesome and unique pieces and wear them in everyday life. Over time, that evolved into a full blown fashion, beauty, and music channel where I channel alternative and fantasy style into each of my videos! The handle "Steamfaerie" was chosen because of my love for Steampunk culture, mixed with fantasy and faerie-tale elements I like to incorporate into my videos!
What types of looks are your favorite to recreate? Where do you usually look for inspiration?
I really love taking pop culture references and re-imagining them into my steampunk/fantasy style. I've done a few videos of Disney characters (mostly princesses) and giving them a "Steamfaerie makeover". I absolutely love going on Pinterest to find inspiration for unique ways to style things. Some of my favorite artists include Kerli, Amy Lee, and Emilie Autumn because they're so great at coming up with super unique looks.
You seem to be into a little of everything on YouTube from fashion and makeup to singing and vlogging. Is there any single element of that you're most passionate about?
Music has always been first in my heart. I've been writing and recording music since I was 9 years old, and when YouTube first launched, I had many channels where I would upload home videos of me singing originals and covers. I started to get a bit of a following, long before being a YouTuber was a thing. Eventually, I stopped uploading on all my old channels and later started fresh with Steamfaerie, which I planned to use as a more fashion/beauty channel, but I couldn't resist uploading music every once in a while!
How has your decision to create your YouTube channel changed your life?
My life has drastically changed since I started doing YouTube full time! Not only have I met some of my closest friends from YouTube, but every aspect of my life has changed! Every time I go out, I think "should I v-log this?" or "oooh I should do a tutorial about this!". My boyfriend and parents often have to be my "crew" and help me film things on the go.
I'm constantly trying to interact with my followers so I can deliver content that they love, so I spend a LOT of time on social media! I've also had to learn how to become a one man team of producing, lighting, filming, editing, and managing. It's definitely a full-time job, but it's the best job ever! I think the best part of being a YouTuber is getting recognized in real life and having people say "are you Steamfaerie?!" It makes my day every time!
Have a message for Steamfaerie? Leave it in the comments below, and share your own fantasy-inspired style with us at SweetyHigh.com.